118 bodies found, described as “extremely cruel” – Channel 4 News

April 8, 2011

The United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights told Channel 4 News that the 118 bodies found on the west coast of Ivory Coast had suffered “extremely cruel treatment” and indicated they were the work of mercenaries.

United Nations The Human Rights Commission revealed that 15 more bodies were found in Duékoué, where the burning took place, 60 in Guiglo and 43 in Bloléquin, meaning that UN investigators have now found 448 bodies in western Côte d’Ivoire, killed in the offensive launched by troops loyal to the presidential candidate. Alessande Ouattara March 28th.

Ivan Simonovich, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, United Nations — — He flew in from New York to oversee the investigation and told Channel 4 News he had seen evidence of “extremely cruel acts”, including the bodies of a dead woman and a baby, as well as evidence of torture and sexual violence.

He said the level of violence suggested the recent atrocities in Bloléquin and Guiglo were committed by mercenaries, although it was not clear for whom they were working. The victims were of mixed ethnicity but all were “traditionally supportive of Ouattara”.

We saw shocking acts of cruelty, including the body of a dead woman with her child in her arms Ivan Simonovich, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights

“These murders took place in areas that were then controlled by mercenaries, and it is clear that the Gher tribe was spared, while northerners and nationals of neighbouring countries were deliberately targeted.”

He revealed details of the massacre investigation exclusively to Channel 4 News on Wednesday Two mass graves were discovered in Douai.

“Here are the hard facts: in the first incident, the 100 victims all belonged to the same ethnic group, the Dioua people who traditionally supported Ouattara, and they were discovered only after pro-Gbagbo forces came to power,” he said.

“In the second incident, 230 people from the Gera ethnic group, traditionally believe, These people were killed when Ouattara’s forces were in power,” Simonovic added.

A spokesman for Ouattara denied his forces were involved in the killing.

Battle of Abidjan

Gbagbo and his influential wife, Simone, have been trapped in a bunker as Ouattara’s troops rapidly advanced into the country last week. UN and French peacekeepers attacked his military warehouses to weaken his firepower. But talks for Gbagbo’s surrender have collapsed, and he insists he is the legitimate winner of last November’s election, which international observers say he lost by 8 percentage points.

Ouattara’s forces are still fighting for the commercial capital, Abidjan, a city of 4 million people, where severe water shortages and lawlessness have led to fears that the humanitarian crisis will deepen.

In a speech, Ouattara called on his generals to maintain military discipline and said he would cooperate with the International Criminal Court’s investigation into the massacre in the west of the country.

Read more: Jon Snow - making sense of Ivory Coast's horror

“We have set up a national commission of inquiry whose findings will be made public and the perpetrators of the crime will be severely punished,” Ouattara said.

At the Ouattara military base north of Abidjan, senior commander Zakaria Koné told Reuters he warned about 100 soldiers on Friday not to engage in killing and looting.

“Don’t go and kill people. If you have problems, go to your leaders. They (pro-Gbagbo militias) massacred our families but they will be held accountable,” he said.

Human Rights Watch told Channel 4 News that reprisal killings against Gbagbo supporters for brutality were a “major concern”.

“There are a few things that are alarming: Ouattara’s forces, the RFCI, are a loose coalition of different rebel groups, Gbagbo defectors and former soldiers, so there is a high potential for abuses by undisciplined members,” said Corinne Dufka.

A UN field commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Channel 4 News, “The situation is under control but we are seeing sporadic gunfire in the capital. Gbagbo’s people have gone underground. The Young Patriots (Gbagbo’s military youth wing) are roaming around but we don’t know where they are and the UN has come under several attacks.”

Ivory Coast: timeline of the crisis
8 April: UN press conference in Geneva reveals 115 more bodies found in western Ivory Coast in last 24 hours
6 April: Channel 4 News learns the UN are setting off to investigate mass killings in Blolequin and that 23
4 April: Chief UN investigator tells Channel 4 News there are reports of 'massacres across the country'
4 April: UN and France launch air strikes against Gbagbo 
2 April: The International Red Cross say that "at least 800 killed in Duekoue"
31 March: Channel 4 News first learns of "very credible reports of mass killings"
30 March: Ouattara forces sweep south taking the official capital Yamoussoukro
28 March: Alassane Ouattara's troops begin major offensive and take western town of Duekoue after heavy fighting. 
4 March: Forces loyal to Gbagbo gun down at least six unarmed women in Abidjan
November 2010: Disputed presidential election.

A week of fighting for control of Abidjan has left terrified residents scrambling for food and water, with power frequently cut and hospitals overwhelmed with the wounded.

“Every morning, people have to walk around the neighborhood with buckets looking for water,” said Jean-Claude, a resident of Cocody. “As for food, there is nothing left.”

cocoa

Ouattara called for a return to normalcy and for the cocoa industry to get back on track. He called on the European Union to ease sanctions that have paralyzed shipping restrictions since January. Ivory Coast accounts for nearly 40% of global cocoa production.

“I ask the European Union to lift sanctions against the ports of Abidjan and San Pedro and certain public entities,” Ouattara said in a speech broadcast on French television.

“I also ask the West African Central Bank to reopen its branches in Côte d’Ivoire and ensure that all banks resume operations so that salaries and arrears can be paid in the shortest possible time.”

The European Commission in Brussels said it hoped to start easing sanctions as soon as possible, and a European diplomatic source said a deal could be reached as early as Tuesday.

Ivory Coast: divided nation 
The bloody fight for political power which has torn the Ivory Coast apart and sent a million fleeing their homes